Date Time Radical Chemistry Enables Straightforward Synthesis of Ethers Kanazawa, Japan – Since as far back as the 1850s, synthesizing ethers has involved the same fundamental chemistry. Now, researchers from Japan have expanded the synthetic toolkit for ethers—by using cheap reagents and easy procedures. In a study recently published in the Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, researchers from Kanazawa University have revealed a new chemical synthesis of carbon radicals from acetals and have produced a wide range of ethers from otherwise challenging starting materials. Ethers are an exciting class of chemical compounds that range from humble chemical solvents to stabilizing components of some recent COVID-19 vaccines. A type of chemical reaction known as nucleophilic substitution continues to be the predominant method for producing ethers. This has restricted the scope of the possible ethers one can form. Accordingly, researchers have focused on making use of chemical reaction intermediates known as carbon radicals. At present, such chemistry has not been well-developed in the context of ether synthesis from acetals, something the researchers at Kanazawa University aimed to address.